Samsung unleashes ITC on Apple again

We don’t need a crystal ball to see some aspects of the future, and the Apple and Samsung feud continuing is something we can foresee rather clearly.

If you want a vision of the future, imagine Apple and Samsung’s boots stamping on each other’s faces — forever.

The duo have taken their dispute one step further today with Samsung casting another stone. It has written to the US International Trade Commission, USITC asking that it begins another investigation into Apple.

It claims Apple infringed patents in portable music devices, tablets and mobile phones and now wants the ITC to move in and impose an import ban on the iPhone, iPad and iPod.

The latest in the long running “he said, she said”, will, according to FOSSpatents blogger Florian Mueller, continue into the foreseeable future.

He tells TechEye: “What’s at stake here is the future of computing and telecommunications, and patents are a strategic weapon in the war for market share. There’ll be more of this and we’ll still see a lot of smartphone patent litigation next year and probably even beyond.

He added that if the ITC agreed to investigate such a complaint – which is pretty certain to happen – a final decision will be reached within 16 to 18 months.

Apple and Samsung have been moaning about each other for ages now and frankly we’re sick of it. It’s our job.

Recently, Apple changed its complaint with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Samsung wasn’t having any of it and sued Apple in South Korea, which Apple dealt with by countersuing Samsung

Now, Mr Mueller says that Apple will continue the war by seeking a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy product range in federal court.

That said, Samsung is the first of the pair to file an ITC complaint.

A domino effect is likely, with rumours appearing that Apple could be buttering up TSMC to take over from Samsung as the component supplier for its mobile devices next year.

As Mr Mueller said, these two companies “appear to have set very clear priorities, and they may be heading for an ugly divorce.”